NHRA NEWS: ENGLISHTOWN POST RACE NOTES
NHRA POWERADE SERIES POST RACE NOTES: 37th annual K&N Filters SuperNationals June 15-18, Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, Englishtown, N.J. TOP FUEL * Rod Fuller earned his second win of 2006 when he drove his Valvoline/David Powers Homes Top Fuel dragster to a win over Larry Dixon. * Fuller piloted his dragster to a 4.692-second finish at 314.24 mph to halt Dixon's five-year Father's Day winning streak. Dixon clocked a 4.825 at 299.73 in his Miller Lite dragster. * While KB Racing's main draw Greg Anderson lost in the first round, Hillary Will - team owner Ken Black's only nitro-burning entry - advanced to the semifinals when opponent and fellow contender for the 2006 AAA "Road to the Future" award for the season's top rookie, J.R. Todd struck the tires in the second round. * Dixon handed Melanie Troxel her first first-round loss of the season, knocking the door wide open for Doug Kalitta to chase the points lead. * Brandon Bernstein earned the Budweiser Shootout award for qualifying No. 1 in his Budweiser dragster. * Bernstein's crew earned the Full Throttle Pit Crew Championship award. FUNNY CAR * Ron Capps lengthened his lead in the POWERade point standings when he drove his Brut Dodge Charger to his fifth win of the year and the 22nd of his career. Capps defeated teammate and reigning world champion Gary Scelzi, who turned in a quicker-but-losing 5.012 at 301.81. Capps piloted his ride to a 5.025 at 299.46. * Two of Force Racing's three entries were out after the first round - Eric Medlen exited at the hands of Phil Burkhart Jr., while Robert Hight was denied by Tim Wilkerson. That gave some breathing room to Ron Capps, who led the POWERade points standings before the event and won his first-round matchup with Jim Head. * John Force's third entry - his own Castrol GTX Ford Mustang - advanced to the second round when he piloted his flagship flopper to a win over rival Whit Bazemore - but it was hometown hero Tony Bartone who ended Force's chances for a win in the quarterfinals. * Tony Bartone won the Skoal Showdown award for being the No. 1 qualifier in his Lucas Oil ride. * Del Worsham's Checker, Schuck's Kragen Monte Carlo crew earned the Full Throttle Pit Crew Championship award. PRO STOCK * Jason Line earned his second win of the year and the 10th of his career on his first Father's Day as a father behind the wheel of his Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTO, clocking a 6.729 at 205.98 over young talent Dave Connolly. Connolly clocked a 6.739 at 206.45. * POWERade points leader and newly crowned King Demon champion Greg Anderson exited in the first round at the hands of his former boss, the "Professor" Warren Johnson. Johnson earned the victory on a hole-shot. * Allen Johnson led the way for the fastest Pro Stock field in NHRA history when he drove his Mopar Dodge Stratus to his second No. 1 qualifier of the season. * Allen Johnson earned the NHRA King Demon Crown award for qualifying No. 1. * Warren Johnson earned the Motel 6 "Who Got the Light" award when he defeated Greg Anderson by a .0049-second margin of victory in the first round of Pro Stock eliminations. * Jim Yates' Bayshore Power Pontiac crew earned the Full Throttle Pit Crew Championship award. PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE * Matt Smith earned his first career win on the POWERade circuit in front of his father, Pro Stock driver "Tricky" Rickie Smith. Smith rode his G-Squared/Torco Race Fuels Buell to a 7.111 at 185.38 over Karen Stoffer, who turned in a 7.234 at 186.12 on her Geico Suzuki. * The competitiveness of the category was obvious when five drivers red-lit their chance to advance away in the first round. No. 1 qualifier Chip Ellis, who on Friday turned in only the fourth pass in NHRA history under seven seconds, Paul Gast, Mike Phillips, Geno Scali and Angelle Sampey all fouled in the first round. * Chip Ellis earned the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle award for being No. 1 qualifier. * Scali's Tom Duke Performance Machine Suzuki crew earned the Full Throttle Pit Crew Championship award. POWERade FAN NATIONALS * Kevin Bibeau, 14, an eighth grader at North Attleboro Middle School, beat out hundreds of participants to become the local POWERade Fan Nationals event champion. Bibeau will travel to Auto Club Raceway at Pomona at the end of the season to compete for the national championship. -30- Lachelle Seymour, media relations manager National Hot Rod Association W: (626) 250.2230 C: (626) 253.6337 Fax: (626) 914.1491 www.nhra.com <http://www.nhra.com/>